About

Ever since the dashing French aviator René Simon completed the area’s first recorded airplane flight in 1911, our region has played an exciting and often pivotal role in aviation history. In 1929, South Bend International Airport saw its beginnings when Vincent Bendix, founder of the Bendix Aviation Corporation, purchased 610 acres northwest of South Bend, IN.

The airport has had many names throughout its long history, beginning with Bendix Municipal Airport, followed by Bendix Field – St. Joseph County Airport, Michiana Regional Airport, Michiana Regional Transportation Center, South Bend Regional Airport and finally South Bend International Airport.

Speaking of names, our airport has welcomed many famous people over the years, including Amelia Earhart in 1936 when she landed her Lockheed Electra aircraft at Bendix field. Many United States Presidents have also landed in South Bend, including Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump.

When the airport first opened, flights were logged on a chalkboard posted outdoors, near a dirt runway. Today, SBN serves hundreds of thousands of air and rail passengers every year. And, of course, our runway is paved!